How this nonprofit helps sex trafficking survivors remove physical reminders of abuse

(InvestigateTV) — For survivors of the brutal world of sex trafficking, freedom is often just the beginning of a long and arduous journey toward healing.

While the emotional and psychological wounds are deep, many carry a constant, visible reminder of their trauma etched into their skin. These branding tattoos, including names, symbols, or crowns, are imposed upon them by their traffickers.

They are not decorations, but declarations of ownership, a permanent scar of a life they were forced to live.

But across the country, a quiet movement of artists and advocates is helping survivors reclaim their bodies and rewrite their stories, one tattoo at a time.

A Brand of Ownership

The International Labor Organization estimates that at any given time, more than 6.3 million people are being sexually exploited. For many, this exploitation comes with a physical branding.

“Well, for my trafficker’s name, it was on my thigh,” shares Michelle, a survivor from New Orleans whose identity is being protected. “So anytime I wore shorts, it was like the ownership was there.”

The tattoos served as a constant reminder of her trafficker’s control. The psychological weight was so heavy that she made a grim decision to add her own ink. “I also tattooed my name on my body,” she says, “in case anyone found my body, that they would have a point of information of how to identify me.”

Jane, another survivor, was trafficked in her early twenties after a family loss left her homeless and vulnerable. She endured some of the darkest moments imaginable. “I didn’t really know if I was going to live or die,” she recalls. “I was almost sold overseas, but I escaped.”

For women like Jane and Michelle, these tattoos are more than just ink; they are a map of their trauma, tying them to a past they are desperately trying to leave behind.

A Mission to Heal

Scott Vaughan, owner of a rehabilitation and aesthetics clinic, had purchased a high-powered laser for tattoo removal.

He felt a calling to use it for good, but wasn’t sure how until a friend told him about a sex trafficking survivor who spoke of the trauma of her branding tattoos.

That planted the seed for what would become Unbranded, Vaughan’s nonprofit dedicated to providing free laser tattoo removal for survivors.

The mission came into sharp focus during a chance meeting on Mardi Gras in 2020.

“That’s where I actually spoke to the first survivor and got very emotional in that meeting, to say the least,” Vaughan recalls.

That survivor was Michelle.

“In that meeting, he did not know that I was a survivor,” Michelle says. When Vaughan shared his idea for Unbranded, she was overcome. “I immediately just started crying, and I was like, ‘You could get rid of these brandings on me?’ And he goes, ‘Yes.’”

A Clean Slate

The impact of Unbranded’s work has been profound. Laser tattoo removal can be a long and expensive process, often costing thousands of dollars that survivors simply do not have. By offering the service for free, Vaughan is removing a significant barrier to healing.

For Jane, having a tattoo removed from her face was life-altering.

“I still have to stop and just be filled with gratitude that that isn’t what I see or what people see today,” she says, her voice filled with emotion. “It’s like having that removed gives me a clean slate. Now I have my body back.”

With the physical reminders of their past gone, both women are building new lives. Michelle now runs a consulting company, using her unique insight to collaborate with the Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention. Jane is the proud mother of a young daughter and is starting a new job.

“I’m in a very good spot in my life,” Jane says. “Anything is possible.”

Since 2022, Unbranded has treated 43 survivors and removed 350 tattoos, each session a step toward reclaiming a life that was stolen. It is a powerful testament to the idea that while the scars of the past may run deep, they do not have to be permanent.

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, help is available. You can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or visit humantraffickinghotline.org. The hotline is free, confidential, and available 24/7.